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The red roses that he had spent at least forty-five minutes picking out at the florist lay on his wrestles lap as he bounces his legs up and down, and he can feel the card with Lexi's name printed on the front of it pressed against his chest. Fezco had held down his nerves for the most of the day as he got ready at home and Faye helped him by steaming his suit, and assuring him that other people would think he looked handsome. The nerves were still even as he walked through the doors of the high school and picked up his ticket that Lexi had left for him at the ticket counter. The nerves started building more and more as he found his seat, the exact one that Lexi had saved for him because she told him he would have the best one in the house. He couldn't even put into words how proud he felt of her, and how happy that she was finally doing something for herself.
The play started off with the funeral for Rue father and that morphed into her revealing how she has always felt like she was in Cassie's shadow whether it be because she felt like she wasn't pretty enough or confident enough in her own skin. That makes him feel sad because it's clear that Lexi doesn't see herself as she truly is, he would say that she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and that it goes beyond looks.
In that scene with the red dress, well, Fezco could've sworn his heart stopped there for a minute and he may have been a little ashamed of what he was thinking because it was not respectful, and his Grandma always taught him to be respectful to women. It's when Lexi said "A little exchange and I fall in love" that really had his heart stopping and the rush of redness across was visible to anyone, shit, it was probably even visible to Lexi as she stood front and center on the stage.
Memories of the first time that Rue, Lexi, and himself all got high together came flooding back as the replica of the drive through took over the stage and he watched the conversation between Lexi and the person who portrayed Rue continued. A sharpie faced Lexi, who they nicknamed Bob Ross floods back in waves, along with all the laughter and carefree side of Rue, before she got heavy into drugs, and her overdose. It was a nostalgic feeling because that was once of the few times he got to have fun like a normal teenager with some friends, but it was also the day he got to hang out with his best friend, and the girl he had a crush on and would for years afterwards. It was the part where she talked about why she didn't like smoking weed because it brought all the bad thoughts forward, and when she said "and the million and one reasons why I'm not good enough, that is the part that broke is heart. He was determined to make sure that Lexi saw herself for who she really was, a person who is kind, brave, beautiful, and of course fucking fearless.
Fezco also learned from the play that Maddy was a big part of Lexi's life through her sister, Cassie. He never really knew that before and he suspected maybe not a lot of people did, but he liked the way he portrayed their friendship and painted Maddy in a good light. If he was being honest, anyone that treated Lexi right was good in his book. He also understood more about the friendship between Cassie and Maddy was so deep, and that Cassie's betrayal hit deeper than he previously thought. The whole musical scene was something he had never seen before and the entire time he was thinking damn, Lex, you really fucking pulled the punches on this one. Also, the fact that it pissed Nate Jacobs off enough that he had stormed out right afterwards, well, all he can say is he is proud of his girl.
It's when Cassie walked up on the stage clapping her hands that he knew that shit was about to go down and there was nothing he could really do about it, but it was when Cassie dragged Lexi out that he really started to feel rage. There was nothing he could do but watch it unfold in front of him and hope that whatever Cassie was planning would end before it could really begin, and that's when he saw Lexi and Cassie's mom run on the stage trying to diffuse the situation. Then when Fezco saw Maddy run onto the stage he knew that all hell was about to break loose, and that this may be the most interesting play anyone has ever seen. He just felt an enormous amount of sadness because he knows Lexi has worked so hard on this play and the late hours of rehearsal because he would come pick her up on those nights so she didn't have to bike home in the dark. Everything was happening so fast the moment that Maddy ran up the stairs to the stage to her slapping Cassie across the face, and Cassie running away from Maddy. He watched as Kat tried to get Maddy and telling her not to do it, but he recognized that rage he saw in Maddy and knew that she was not going to stop until she finished what she had started. He thought to himself well, Cassie is getting what she deserves after all the shit she has pulled over the last couple of months. Then the curtains were closing and Fezco sat there with anticipation of what he should do next, should he go and find Lexi or stay where he is seated and wait to see what happens?
It was in that moment after everything happened, when the silence overtook the auditorium that Fezco heard a familiar voice towards the back start to chant "Lexi! Lexi! Lexi!" and then the rest of the audience seemed to have gotten the memo, starting in on the chant until Lexi emerged from the side stage facing the audience. He could tell how nervous she seemed and gave her the most encouraging smile when their eyes met as she scanned the room. The moment their eyes locked a small smile replaced the nervous look on her face, and he could see her start to gain more confidence.
Lexi cleared her throat before speaking "A little bit ago I was talking to a friend about this play, and I asked him 'What if I upset people?', and he said to me, 'Sometimes, people need to get their feelings hurt.' Um.. and that friend is with us here tonight, and I can't think him enough for encouraging and pushing me to do something for myself. To quote something he said to me on New Year's Eve you're fucking fearless and I hope that rings true tonight, so this one's for you. Thank you and we will continue with the show in just a few minutes."
Even though no one else in the audience knew who she would be talking about Fezco knew that he was the friend she was referring to and that he uttered the words fucking fearless to her that night. The smile that crept got bigger and bigger as the words "This one's for you" ran through his head. He knew something he had suspected before, and despite his grandma's warning about never falling in love because it's the one instinct you can't trust, obviously never met one Lexi 'Fucking Fearless' Howard before. it was in that moment that Fezco admitted to himself that he was in love with her, and he was not in the business of denying himself such a pleasure.
The play ended with the audience giving Lexi and the rest of the cast a standing ovation and if Fezco clapped a little louder than anyone else around him, well, who was going to say anything? He waits the by the backstage with the roses tightly gripped in his hands and the card with Lexi's name printed on it in the pocked of his jacket. He goes over and over again in his head what he's going to say to her, how he is going to ask her to be his girl, and maybe take her out to celebrate the success of her play, but all that flew out the window the minute he laid eyes on her.
Lexi ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck before quickly pulling back as the blush overtook her cheeks "I'm so glad you could made it!"
"Shit, I told you I was gonna be in the front row, Shorty, I promised you that." Fezco said bringing the roses up to present to her "These are for you."
"Fezco" taking the bouquet from his hands and smelling them "These are absolutely beautiful, but you didn't have to get me anything."
"Nah, there was no way I was gonna fucking show up and not give the most beautiful girl I know flowers for her play. Yo, I have to say it was very interesting." Fezco said looking around, really wishing he had a blunt in his hand right now. "Ah shit, before I forget I wanted to give you this as well." as he pulls out the card that has been laying against his chest the whole time. He had agonized over an hour of what exactly to put in the card. He finally settled on Don't forget you're fucking fearless, Lexi Howard, and I'll be standing by you.
Lexi reads the card and lets out a small as she finishes it with the biggest smile he thinks he has ever seen on her face "Thank you, Fezco. It didn't turn out how I expected it, but it meant a lot to me that you came." she said looking up at him with her beautiful brown eyes.
"Nothing to thank me for, ma." He says but suddenly those nerves come back in full force again "Anything for my girl."
"Your girl?" Lexi questions him but there's that same tone of happiness he recognizes from their phone conversations.
"I mean, if want to be." He looks at her with his piercing blue eyes "Yeah, I would love for you to be my girl."
"Then I'm your girl" Lexi says as she gently grabs his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers before standing on the balls of her feet and surprising him with a soft gentle kiss, one of many he hopes.